Ganging Device For Folding Chair

ABSTRACT

A ganging device for connecting folding chairs and enlarging a gap between chairs includes a main member, a slot fastener and a knob fastener. A first frame side of the main member includes a fixing element and an engaging protrusion, and a second frame side of the main member includes a frame slot having a neck portion. The slot fastener, which includes an engaging slot having a neck portion, is mounted on a first side of the chair. The knob fastener, which has an engaging knob, is mounted on a second side of the chair. The fixing element and the engaging knob are engaged with the neck portions of the slot fastener and the main member, respectively. The engaging protrusion is fitted into the engaging slot. Therefore, the chairs are connected and a gap between connected chairs is provided to offer comfortable seating.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a ganging device for a folding chair, and in particular to a ganging device that can enlarge a gap between connected chairs to offer comfortable seating.

2. The Prior Arts

The folding chairs are arranged in rows for indoor and outdoor events such as meeting, party, and reception. In order to provide an orderly seating arrangement, the folding chairs are neatly lined up and then interconnected with ganging devices. Referring to FIG. 6, a conventional ganging device for a folding chair include a metal L-bar A and a metal loop B respectively disposed at both sides of the folding chair. The L-bar A is fitted into the loop B on another chair, thereby connecting two chairs together. Taking advantage of the L-bar A and the loop B, a plurality of folding chairs are neatly lined up and connected side by side. The disadvantage of the folding chairs connected by the conventional ganging devices is that the gap between the connected chairs is small. When people, especially overweight or heavily built people, sit down, they are too close to each other. When trying to enlarge the gaps to offer more spacious seating for greater comfort, the chairs are lined up one by one and are not connected with the ganging devices. However, it is hard to keep the folding chairs in a row neatly without the ganging devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a ganging device mounted between folding chairs. The ganging device not only connects the chairs together but also keeps an ample distance between the chairs allowing spacious seating.

The solution of the present invention is to provide a frame as a main member of the ganging device. A first side of the main member includes an engaging protrusion, a fixing hole and a fixing element corresponding to the fixing hole. A second side of the main member includes a bottle-shaped frame slot having a narrow neck portion and a wide body portion. Moreover, a slot fastener is welded to a front leg frame of the chair. The slot fastener includes a bottle-shaped engaging slot having a body portion and a neck portion. An engaging knob is disposed on another folding chair.

The fixing element includes a screw, a nut and a washer. A screw head of the screw is inserted into the body portion of the engaging slot and then the screw is glided down the neck portion of the engaging slot. Then, a shank of the screw passes through the fixing hole and the engaging protrusion is fitted into the body portion of the engaging slot. The washer and nut of the fixing element are screw into the screw, thereby fixing the main member with the front leg frame of the chair. The engaging knob on another chair is inserted into the body portion of the frame slot of the main member and is glided down to the neck portion of the frame slot of the main member, thereby connecting the engaging knob with the main member. Therefore, the chairs are connected side by side.

The ganging device for enlarging a gap between folding chairs according to the present invention uses knobs and slots to quickly connect the chairs together. If trying to disconnect the folding chairs, it only needs to disengage the knobs and slots. It is quick and convenient.

A width of the main member of the ganging device is about 5 cm and the ganging device mounted between the folding chairs can keeps a distance between the chairs. Thus people sitting next to each other can enjoy the spacious seating and will not feel be confined in a small space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing a main member of a ganging device for a folding chair in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing two chairs and the ganging device according to the present invention mounted between the chair;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing two chairs connected by the ganging device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing two chairs connected by two set of the ganging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the ganging devices according to the present invention ganging a plurality of chairs; and

FIG. 6 shows a conventional ganging device connecting two chairs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A ganging device 4 for a folding chair in accordance with the present invention is mounted between two folding chairs to enlarge a gap between the connected folding chairs. The ganging device 4 includes a main member 1 to increase the gap, and a slot fastener 2 and a knob fastener 3 located at respectively associated opposite sides of a front leg frame of the folding chair.

Referring to FIG. 1, the main member 1 is a frame and includes a first frame side and a second frame side opposing to the first frame side. The first frame side of the main member 1 includes an engaging protrusion 11 protruded out of the main member 1 and a fixing hole 14 disposed below the engaging protrusion 11. The engaging protrusion 11 has a rectangular base. The fixing hole 14 is for a fixing element 12. The second frame side of the main member 1 includes an inverted-bottle-shaped frame slot 13. The frame slot 13 has a lower neck portion and an upper body portion. The fixing element 12 includes a screw 121 passing through the fixing hole 14, a washer 122, and a wing nut 123. The screw 121 includes a screw head and a shank with a helical thread.

Referring to FIG. 2, the slot fastener 2 is welded on a first side of the front leg frame. The slot fastener 2 comprises an inverted-bottle-shaped engaging slot 21. The engaging slot 21 has a lower neck portion and an upper body portion. The knob fastener 3 is welded on a second side of the front leg frame at a location corresponding to the slot fastener 2. The knob fastener 3 comprises an engaging knob 31 having a knob head and a neck portion. The width of the engaging protrusion 11 is corresponding to that of the body portion of the engaging slot 21. The diameter of the screw head of the screw 121 is smaller than the width of the body portion of the engaging slot 21 and larger than the width of the neck portion of the engaging slot 21. The diameter of the knob head of the engaging knob 31 is smaller than the width of the body portion of the frame slot 13 and larger than the width of the neck portion of the frame slot 13.

When the main member 1 is mounted to the slot fastener 2 on a first chair, the screw head of the screw 121 is inserted into the body portion of the engaging slot 21 and the screw 121 is pushed down to the neck portion of the engaging slot 21, thereby holding the screw head of the screw 121 between the slot fastener 2 and the front leg frame. The shank of the screw 121 is inserted into the fixing hole 14 of the main member 1 and the engaging protrusion 11 is fitted into the body portion of the engaging slot 21 of the slot fastener 2. Then, the washer 122 is sleeved on the shank of the screw 121 and the nut 123 is securely screwed down the screw 121. Therefore, the main member 1 is connected with the slot fastener 2 and is securely mounted on the front leg frame of the first chair. Because the engaging protrusion 11 is fitted into the body portion of the engaging slot 21, the main member 1 can not be rotated relative to the slot fastener 2. The engaging knob 31 of the knob fastener 3 on a second chair is inserted into the body portion of the frame slot 13 on the main member 1 and the engaging knob 31 is pushed down to the neck portion of the frame slot 13. Thus, the knob fastener 3 on the second chair is engaged with the main member 1 mounted on the first chair. Therefore, the first chair and the second chair are connected by the ganging device according to the present invention as shown in FIG. 3. The gap between the two chairs is the width of the main member 1 that is about 5 cm.

However, when two chairs are connected by only one ganging device 4, the chairs may shift relative to each other. The solution of the problem mentioned above, is to provide more than one ganging devices 4 to connect the first chair and the second chair. Referring to FIG. 4, two ganging devices 4 connect the two chairs together at an upper portion and a lower portion of the leg frames of the chairs, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 5, a plurality of folding chairs are connected by the ganging devices 4 and lined up in a row. People sitting next to each other will have a spacious gap between them. The engaging knob 31 and the fixing element 12 of the ganging device according to the present invention can quickly connect or disconnect the chairs.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims. 

1. At least one ganging device for connecting a first chair with a second chair and enlarging a gap between the chairs, and being disposable between respective leg frames of the chairs, each chair having a slot fastener mounted on a first side of the leg frame, the slot fastener comprising an engaging slot having a neck portion and a body portion, each chair further having an engaging knob disposed on a second side of the leg frame, the ganging device comprising: a main member including: a first portion, a second portion, a third portion, and a fourth portion interconnected to form a frame, a fixing element disposed on the first portion, an engaging protrusion formed on the first portion, the engaging protrusion having a rectangular base, the base having a side with a length being substantially equal to a width of the body portion of the engaging slot, and a frame slot formed on the second portion, the frame slot having a neck portion and a bottle portion, the neck portion of the frame slot having a width smaller than a width of the bottle portion; wherein the fixing element is insertable into the engaging slot on the first chair and is engageable with the neck portion of the engaging slot, with the engaging protrusion being fittable into the body portion of the engaging slot on the first chair; and wherein the engaging knob on the second chair is insertable into the frame slot and is engagable with the neck portion of the frame slot, so that the chairs are connected and are kept a distance away from each other.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The ganging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein two ganging devices are disposable between the leg frames of the first chair and the second chair; one of the ganging devices being disposable at upper portions of the leg frames and the other ganging device being disposable at lower portions of the leg frames.
 4. An arrangement, comprising: a first chair having a first leg frame, a second chair having a second leg frame, a slot fastener mounted on the first leg frame, the slot fastener comprising an engaging slot having a neck portion and a body portion, an engaging knob disposed on the second leg frame, a ganging device for connecting the first chair with the second chair and enlarging a gap between the chairs, the ganging device being disposable between the first and second leg frames, the ganging device comprising a main member, the main member including: a first portion, a second portion, a third portion, and a fourth portion interconnected to form a frame, a fixing element disposed on the first portion, an engaging protrusion formed on the first portion, the engaging protrusion having a rectangular base, the base having a side with a length being substantially equal to a width of the body portion of the engaging slot, and a frame slot formed on the second portion, the frame slot having a neck portion and a bottle portion, the neck portion of the frame slot having a width smaller than a width of the bottle portion; wherein the fixing element is insertable into the engaging slot of the first chair and is engagable with the neck portion of the engaging slot, with the engaging protrusion being fittable into the body portion of the engaging slot; and wherein the engaging knob is insertable into the frame slot of the second chair and is engagable with the neck portion of the frame slot, so that the chairs are connected and are kept a distance away from each other. 